 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
 |
|
|
The Program: Clean & Green Port of Houston Program is an ongoing public-private partnership using community service workers through the Harris County Judiciary to clear Buffalo Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel of floating debris. The program is spearheaded by the Port of Houston Authority and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, with support from corporate sponsor Shell Oil Company. The Problem: The Port of Houston faces the ongoing challenge of floating debris deposited in the portion of Buffalo Bayou leading to the Turning Basin – the navigation head of the Houston Ship Channel. The Houston area storm water drainage system drains street water and debris into curb catch basins that route the runoff through an underground system that ultimately empties into the city’s bayous. Discarded soda cans, plastic bags, Styrofoam cups, and other pieces of floating litter from the streets enter into the drainage system. After a rainstorm, a tidal wave of trash flows into the Turning Basin on its way to the Galveston Bay estuary. As the water level recedes to normal in the bayou, trash is left in the water and along the bayou’s banks and trapped in trees and other vegetation. This recurring appearance of litter has a negative impact on the environment, neighboring communities, the Port of Houston Authority’s commitment to environmental stewardship and the city’s overall image. The Solution: Five days a week, a land-based crew of community service workers will collect litter and debris from the banks of the waterway, while a water-borne crew will work from a skimmer boat to clean storm drains, banks and other natural collection areas. The goal is a cleaner and more appealing waterway for Houston residents to enjoy. Phase One of the Clean & Green program will focus on restoring a seven-mile area along Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Turning Basin, and the Turning Basin through the Houston Ship Channel to the Highway 610 bridge. The program aims to collect more than 10 cubic yards of debris a day over the next year, which is enough to fill 83 garbage trucks. Plastics, wood and vegetation comprise the bulk of the debris in the bayou, and all of these materials will be re-used, recycled or transformed into useable products in order to conserve landfill space. Points of note: Over the last four years, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s trash collection program along the bayou and the ship channel has averaged more than 1,000 cubic yards of material each year. The collected materials were enough to fill a convoy of garbage trucks one-half-mile long, or cover the surface of the University of Houston’s football field to a height of three feet. These quantities, however, pale in comparison to what could be realized by this program.
Major Corporate Partner
Public Agency Partners
Other Program Partners
Special acknowledgements Contact: Trudi Smith
Shaun Wiggins |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |